A determinedly eccentric old guy's journey while living a bicycle lifestyle.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Living Well With Burley's Travoy

My local grocery store is a mile and a half away. Guess I'm a common
sight because far fewer people ask about my bike/trailer arrangement.
Now, those who ask, are interested to know how it all works as a
possible practical application
for their lifestyle. The combination of a serviceable bike, inexpensive
panniers and a sturdy trailer makes living without a car, at the least,
manageable and generally joyful. It is, though, the trailer that makes
it a successful arrangement.

For anyone confronting the cost of driving and considering
alternatives, the use of a Burley Travoy as your lifestyle companion is
a valid option. It'll haul 60 pounds and do so without undue stress. My
three mile grocery store round trip includes a quarter-mile of wooded
singletrack with a
short, steep decline at the end. The Travoy handles the roots, sand and
decline flawlessly.

It performs flawlessly, in part,
because of the flexible coupling that handles twists and turns and ups
and downs.

The hitch folds downward with no more than a twist of the wrist making
the Travoy a very usable, maneuverable shopping cart.

The Travoy will handle up to 60 pounds and that amounts to a lot of
essential stuff.

Typically, I visit the nearby Saturday morning Farmers' Market in Haile
Village. Some of the residents of the Haile community were vociferous
in
their resistance to extending Archer Braid Trail though their
community. The irony is that there are few places more inviting to
bicycles than Haile Village.

In this period of people working at being "green" and Earth
friendly, the majority of
the
vendors in local, open-air markets are the essence of green. They are,
after all, the food chain.

Cypress
Point Creamery
makes cheese on their farm near Gainesville. I'm certain the decision
to do
something productive came from Nancy because John clearly spent too
many years breathing recycled air aboard submarines. The clear air of
north central Florida has allowed him to return to a near full level of
competence and together they make damn good stuff. Hardly a weekend
passes when I do not pick-up some of their cheeses.

Another local purveyor of good stuff are the good people of Kuma's
Playpen Ranch. It is here where I get my fresh goat milk to make bread.
It is obvious who makes things work here considering that as a younger
man Thomas had no idea that being a Navy Medic meant serving
with
the Marines. Takes time for those of us from that era to find our way.

In the South, beans are peas and peas are English Peas. Adding to the
mild confusion is the additional fact, that all the wide variety of
southern peas are in fact all Southern Peas. They originated in India,
found their way to Africa and have become a staple of Southern cooking
becoming known as field peas, crowder peas,
cowpeas, blackeyes
and
more than fifty local names. Horticulturists prefer the name Southern
Peas for all of 'em. Southern cooks care not at all about their
preferred name and KNOW that one does not taste the same as
the
other. Among the most refined tastes, White Acre Peas are the best.

I've
never asked the name of the gentleman who sells White Acres Peas at
Haile,
but he grows and sells the best . . . no argument.

Grocery stores cater to our desire for convenience. My perspective on
what's convenient has changed significantly since putting aside
automobiles as a necessary part of daily life. Going a little
out
of the way isn't actually going out of the way anymore. It's just more
time spent riding and that's a good thing.

The
produce people are a short distance from the Farmer's Market
at 91st and Archer Road every Saturday and Sunday. It may not
be
as convenient to stop there as a quick trip to the grocery store, but
it's a more rewarding experience and they have the best in-season
melons.

Obviously, there are limits to what and how much can be hauled using
the Travoy, but testing the limits and possibilities is a part of the
adventure.

Plants, of course, do not test the weight limit, but can provide
potentially useful camouflage.

Needed to take my PC to the PC fixer. With lots of packing material and
moderately deflated tires to minimize bounce it was easily transported
round-trip.

Other bulky stuff is also manageable and feline approved.

Living without a car in a relatively flat place with moderate winter
temperatures is easy, but handling the things that make cars useful
requires some planning. Adding the Travoy to my bicycle accessories was
a good choice. Few things are as well designed and functional are
Burley's Travoy.